France is a country of amazing chateaux, monuments and cathedrals, masterpieces of art and magnificent countryside. France is blessed with the variety of climates and terroir to be able to produce a wide range of wines to be enjoyed with almost any food. Over centuries, the French have used trial and error to discover where to plant the proper grape varietals to produce the best wine. Areas that benefit from the warm air of the Meditteranean blend different grapes to make more complex wines, while the cooler Continental climate makes fantastic single-grape wines possible. Vive Les Vins Français!

France

Founded by Gerard Depardieu himself, this is an unusual beer as its a mix between a French Biere de Garde and a Belgian IPA in terms of style. On the palate there is spice and sweet with a citrusy finish.

Cherry red in colour; fresh, perfumed aromas of ripe plum and berry fruits of Merlot, with cherry and red fruit of Grenache on the nose. The palate is round, with medium to full body and integrated supple tannins; it is juicy, easy to drink, with a touch of spice to the long, fruit-driven finish.

The grapes were crushed and pressed before fermentation took place in controlled stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 13-16°C. After pressing, further skin contact was avoided to avoid extracting too much colour or tannin. A vivid pink colour, this wine exhibits an intense perfume of red fruits with hints of strawberry and cassis.

An aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, typically grassy in style with zesty lemon and lime character. Full of exotic gooseberry and grapefruit flavours which develop on the palate creating a well rounded wine, ending with a fresh and rounded acidity. Recently voted one of France`s Top 100 Vin de Pays.

This small family estate is spread over 30ha in the shadow of the Pyrenees. Winemaker, Nicolas Cambos, manages the vineyard without pesticides or chemicals. As a vine variety ‘Gros Manseng’ is a relatively unknown treasure of the south west, in this case it produces a dry, fleshy white wine with attractive aromas of pear and pineapple.

Produced by one of the finest growers in St Veran, adjacent to Pouilly Fuisse, on vines situated on chalk and limestone hillsides. Wonderfully structured, showing great fruit with lovely toasty flavours and a crisp citrus aftertaste, ideally balanced and full bodied.

Grown at Domaine Herbauges by perfectionist Luc Choblet, this `old vine`unoaked Chardonnay is super fresh and lively with a lovely twist of lemon acidity. Beautifully balanced and dry it also develops exotic fruits such as pineapple, banana and quince on the palate.

Nice little juicy Organic Corbieres. Robust with pepper to the fore, good character for the price. Mostly Carignan and Grenache. Since 1771 the Fabre family have been owners of Château Fabre in the heart of the Corbières region of the Languedoc.

Gamay and Pinot Noir are the two permitted varieties of the Auvergne appellation. They are blended together to produce a distinctive wine typical of the region. This tank fermented light red wine, full of bright soft red fruits, is juicy and has a streak of minerality. Ideally served lightly chilled.

The passionate and innovative young winemaker Pascal Cuisset owns this beautiful Dordogne estate, south west of the town of Bergerac. Made from a blend of Sauvignon and Semillon matured `sur lie`, his dry white Bergerac is full and fruity. It retains a crisp, zingy acidity with hints of pineapple and gooseberry and fantastic weight on the palate.

A bright, fresh Languedoc white from the coastal flatlands of Sete which abounds with fragrant aromas of white flowers, quince and anis followed by ginger and citrus notes. It is lively on the palate with notes of lemon, melon and honey finishing crisp and dry with matured crystallised citrus fruits

The village of St Christol is one of 12 villages in the Coteaux du Languedoc appellation, near the town of Nimes. The wine is a blend from Syrah, Carignan and Mourvedre and is a soft velvety red with a floral bouquet of violets and red berries.

Stylistically reflecting the Northern Rhone with a wonderfully aromatic nose of intense aromas reminiscent of acacia, yellow peaches and exotic fruits. Classic southern French Viognier with ripe stone fruit characters and a little weight on the palate but still remaining elegant, fresh and balanced.

A perfumed aromatic dessert wine made from late picked Muscat grapes grown in the shadow of the French Pyrenees in the Catalan region of Roussillon. This fragrant, easy drinking dessert wine has a floral scent with hints of honey and raisins. The pleasant sweetness is elegantly balanced with a touch of citrus acidity.

Picpoul de Pinet Les Girelles from Jean Luc Colombo is a bone dry and fashionable great value wine. Perfect as an aperitif or with any sea foods. Overlooking the Etang de Thau, near Sete, on the sunny Mediterranean. This salt Lagoon is home to France’s best oyster beds, which is the traditional partner or this wine. Á votre santé!

This deeply coloured barrel aged Languedoc blend is perfumed with dark cherries, black pepper and vanilla spice. Hints of wild herbs and minerals add to a rich palate of dense dark fruits and subtle oak. It is medium bodied yet well structured with a good backbone of fine tannins and restrained acidity providing an excellent, long finish.

Le Poussin is made by Sacha Lichine of Whispering Angel fame. The Pink Chick is a delicate, pale pink blend made mostly from Grenache with a little dash of Syrah to round it out. It has floral, rose petal scents on the nose and a dry, well balanced palate with supple summer fruits.

Brilliant value French Pinot Noir that runs rings around most Burgundy costing 2/3 times as much. From the obscure Auvergne region in central France offering great purity of fruit and freshness. Brought to our attention by the Liberator/Cape Crusader himself Richard Kelley MW.

Chapoutier continues to produce wines of unbelievable value and this one is no exception. It has a gorgeous garnet red colour with red fruit aromas, mainly Morello cherries. Well-structured, with sustained tannins - medium bodied reds don`t get much better than this!

Dry and easy to drink, lively and charming, this is a fruity wine with a floral scent and a hint of lemon, the Mâcon Villages should be drunk chilled and rather young.
This wine goes very well with a large range of foods including "hors d`oeuvres", fried or grilled fish, sea food, goat`s milk cheese, poultry.